System and Method for Calculating Trace Lengths of a PCB Layout

1. A system for calculating trace lengths of a printed circuit board (PCB) layout, comprising: a database for storing information on objects of the PCB, section rules, and trace information; and a computer connected to the database, for calculating a length of each section contained in each trace and a total length of the trace, and generating corresponding notices if necessary, the computer comprising; an object setting module for setting objects to be used to define section rules; a section rule defining module for selecting an object as a start point and an object as an end point for each section in a section rule, and defining a length for the section; a trace selecting module for selecting one or more traces from a trace class; a trace calculating module for calculating lengths of various sections contained in each selected trace and a total length of the selected trace, and determining whether all the selected traces have been calculated; an information generating module for generating a notice requiring redefining of a relevant section rule when a length of any section in a standard trace of the trace class or a total length of the standard trace does not accord with its predefined length, and generating a notice of not being able to calculate any length when any segment of a trace to be calculated does not accord with a corresponding determined section rule, wherein the standard trace is a satisfactory trace that meets a design rule check standard in the trace class; a storing module for storing the defined section rules and calculation results in the database; and a calculation result converting module for converting the calculation results into a designated data file.

2. The system for calculating trace lengths of a PCB layout according to claim 1 , wherein each section rule comprises one or more sections.

3. The system for calculating trace lengths of a PCB layout according to claim 1 , wherein the objects comprise any one or more of components, vias, boundaries, layer changes, width changes, and branches.

4. The system for calculating trace lengths of a PCB layout according to claim 1 , wherein the trace information comprises a trace class, a trace ID, segments of the trace, segment IDs, and start and end coordinates of each segment.

5. The system for calculating trace lengths of a PCB layout according to claim 1 , wherein an end point of a section is a start point of a following section.

6. The system for calculating trace lengths of a PCB layout according to claim 1 , wherein the trace class is any one of an address trace class, a clock trace class, a common trace class, a data trace class, and an ‘other’ trace class.

7. The system for calculating trace lengths of a PCB layout according to claim 1 , wherein the standard trace is a satisfactory trace which meets a design rule check (DRC) standard, and is used to validate a section rule.

8. A computer-based method for calculating trace lengths of a printed circuit board (PCB) layout, the method comprising the steps of: setting a plurality of objects selected from a database; defining a section rule for a trace class, and storing the defined section rule in the database; calculating a length of each section contained in a standard trace, and calculating a total length of the standard wave; generating a notice requiring redefining of the section rule, if a length of any section in the standard trace or the total length of the standard trace does not accord with its predefined length in the section rule; selecting one or more traces to be calculated from the trace class, if all lengths of the sections in the standard trace and the total length of the standard trace accord with their predefined lengths in the section rule; calculating a length of each section contained in each selected trace and a total length of the selected trace, and storing calculation results in the database; and converting the calculation results into a designated data file, if all the selected traces have been calculated.

9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising the step of: returning to the step of calculating a length of each section contained in each selected trace and a total length of the selected trace, if there are any selected traces that have not been calculated.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the step of calculating a length of each section contained in a standard trace and calculating a total length of the standard trace comprises the steps of: selecting all segments contained in the standard trace and determining which section each segment belongs to; calculating a sum of lengths of segments belonging to each section to obtain a length of the section; and calculating a sum of lengths of all sections to obtain a total length of the standard trace.

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the step of calculating a length of each section contained in a selected trace and a total length of the selected trace comprises the steps of: selecting all segments contained in the selected trace, wherein each segment comprises start and end coordinates; determining whether each segment accords with the section rule, according to the start and end coordinates; generating a notice of not being able to calculate any length, if any segment does not accord with the section rule; determining which section each segment belongs to, if all segments accord with the section rule; calculating a sum of lengths of segments belonging to each section to obtain a length of the section; and calculating a sum of lengths of all sections to obtain a total length of the selected trace.

12. A computer-based method for calculating lengths of a trace layout of a circuit board, comprising the steps of: defining a section rule of a specialized section based on objects of said circuit board and a trace class of a selective trace of said circuit board, and storing said section rule in a database; selecting a standard trace of said trace class from said database, and calculating section length values of said standard trace based on said section rule and identification of said specialized section from said standard trace; modifying said section rule in case of disaccord between any of said section length values of said standard trace and defined length values according to said section rule; identifying segments of said selective trace according to said section rule, and reporting any of said segments in case of disaccord between said any of said segments and said specialized section according to said section rule; and calculating segment length values of said selective trace, and recording said segment length values in said database.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising a step of: converting said segment length values into a designated data file.

14. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising a step of: storing said section rule as modified in said database after said section rule is modified in case of disaccord between any of said section length values of said standard trace and defined length values according to said section rule.